Bittersweet
by Cobrastar
Summary: The Bittercold will rise and destroy the Pokémon world within days, as Kyurem foretold. Umbreon and Espeon gave the others the Entercards so they could teleport to the Great Glacier, promising to meet them there. With fate in the balance and no guarantee of survival, both Eeveelutions need to recognize how they appreciate each other, before they never get a chance.


**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity for the 3DS. Spoilers will be included.**

 **This is set after your avatar and chosen friend - Snivy and Oshawott in this case - told everyone in Post Town about the dire situation at hand (the world ending), and that they need to return to the Great Glacier once more. Umbreon and Espeon, two Magnagate researchers, give the chosen friend the Entercards, which are teleportation devices, essentially, so they can go immediately. Umbreon and Espeon volunteer to find their own way.**

* * *

Umbreon and Espeon looked at each other and nodded quietly, the Entercards at hand. Virizion, Emolga, Dunsparce, Snivy, and others stood rigid in their circle as they moved toward Oshawott, handing them their lives' work.

"You've seen us summon the Magnagate enough times to wing it, haven't you?"

The Oshawott looked down at the Entercards - those precious things that were just _handed_ to him, that would send him, Snivy, Virizion, and Emolga on their second trip to the Great Glacier - ad looked back to Espeon blankly. "Uh... S-sure. Probably."

"Use those cards to get you to the Great Glacier," Umbreon instructed him, eyeing him importantly, as if that would nail it in head so he wouldn't forget. "We'll meet you there." Turning to his Eeveelution counterpart, he mewed, "Let's go, Espeon."

Espeon turned back to the group one last time. "Let's all do our best!" she exclaimed positively, gesturing for Umbreon to take the lead. He did so, and Espeon followed him, leaving the rest of the group to huddle and decide their next course of action.

Umbreon led out of Post Town, barely squeezing in a 'goodbye' to the Quagsire so always faithfully organized the parties for the Request Board and notthward to the main path. This dirt and rock paved path eventually split into many, many directions - all of which lead to somewhere else. Umbreon had his mind on the Icy Tundra, the usual path that many took to attempt to gain access into the mysterious glacier, all of which failed.

The road they took now, though, was wide open, with nowhere to hide and nowhere to run. The two padded on anyway, determination set in their hearts.

"Umbreon?"

Umbreon blinked, and turned his head around, surprised to see that he'd left Espeon behind a few paces. Slowing down so she could catch up, slight guilt wormed in his heart. "Yes?" he asked calmly, picking up and matching Espeon's pace.

The psychic-type Pokémon didn't answer for a while, eyes focused on her paws as they passed each rock, and Umbreon remained patient. "Never mind, it... it can wait," she said casually, looking back up. "It's not important right now."

Umbreon nodded, not forgetting her unfinished thought, but storing it in the back of his mind - right now, getting to the Icy Tundra was of utmost importance. "We should speed up," he murmured anxiously. "Time is of the essence, you know."

Espeon nodded and picked up her pace, one that was swifter than Umbreon's original one. They remained silent, and the rest of the path was quiet, lonely with no other Pokémon save them. Putting his body on autopilot, Umbreon took the current worry on his mind - on _everyone's_ mind - and met with it. _The Pokémon world is ending!_ A desperate voice within him wanted to cry. _Abandon ship! Abandon everything! It's all doomed anyway - what's the point? Fate can't just change because others say it can by some - some positive emotion! _Then he bit his tongue bitterly. _It can't be over! I still have a life to live - children to save, research to do! What about Espeon?_ That last thought made him wince - she would smack him with her paw if she knew what he was thinking.

But it was also the thought of Espeon that _really_ fueled his bones to keep moving - aside from moral obligation and such, it was really under the watchful eye of Espeon that kept him a team player, kept him from dissolving into the shadows of being a secondary character in the helping process of restoring the world.

Now that he thought about it - it struck him like a lightning bolt. Neither him or Espeon ever... really expressed how much they meant to each other - assuming Espeon considered him a friend. Umbreon knew that he considered _her_ a friend, and even if she didn't... well, if the world _did_ end up being destroyed...

He had to tell her just how much he truly appreciated her.

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out - the dusty scents of the trail replaced his words, and he coughed.

"You okay?" Espeon asked, throwing him a concerned look. "Should we stop?"

"Oh, no, I'm okay," he assured her. "I just opened my mouth, and dust came in."

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Of course you'd open your mouth," she mewed amusedly. "You _know it all_."

"Hey!" Umbreon protested, though a smile of his own crossed his face. "I didn't know you knew!" When they had first met, it was in a Magnagate. After they had shown their peace when they ran into each other, Umbreon talked and talked about how he was a Dungeon Researcher, and how he planned going to the Great Glacier by manipulating ley lines, the paths that Entercards followed, and creating his own Entercards, which are the paw-sized cards that finished the process. After his lecture in that dungeon, Espeon had laughed and told him that she was a Dungeon Researcher as well, and knew these things already - much to Umbreon's embarrassment. But, from that day, they had stuck to each other like glue from that day, sharing the same goal - and they had achieved that goal, making it to the Great Glacier, where no other Pokémon (besides Keldeo, they learned on the trip) had trod before. The other part of the goal was to see the Great Crystal themselves, but it turned out, it was the very thing that loomed over their heads and the rest of the world - the Bittercold, which was comprised of such negativity from other Pokémon in the world they couldn't see it themselves, much less get near it.

"It was a dark cave, you looked like you belonged!"

Espeon eyed him sardonically. "It was a _dark_ cave. You're a black Pokémon. _You_ looked like _you_ belonged."

Umbreon scrunched his nose, looked forwards again. "I didn't think," he admitted. "I was so starry-eyed in my work that I wasn't as sensible as I should have been."

"Well," Espeon added, a less playful tone to her tone, "I'm glad you didn't, or we probably wouldn't have teamed up in the first place!"

Umbreon, wide-eyed, kept going. "You're right," he realized with a shudder. "We'd both be doing our own thing, probably not to meet again." Espeon nodded gravely, wordless.

Night came rather quickly, and they found a sort of cul-de-sac to the side of the road - obviously meant for a rest stop, where they could make nests for the night. Setting up quickly, they started a fire and settled down.

"Night came a little too fast for my liking," Espeon thought aloud. "We don't have much time," she added, concern tinting her tone.

Umbreon's eyes flashed, and he nodded his head. "It makes me uneasy, too," he assured her. "But we should be there by tomorrow, and destroy the Bittercold by sundown tomorrow." He said it in such a way that it was almost believable, but Espeon humored him and nodded, curling in a tighter ball. "Goodnight, Espeon."

Espeon's heart clenched with worry as she, too, curled herself in a ball. "Goodnight," she mewed, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 _"Espeon!"_

 _"Umbreon!"_

Espeon realized that she didn't call either of those names, and... the scene below them. _Ah. It's the day I was reunited with Umbreon after Munna's gang separated us!_ She was viewing this scene again, in the middle of Post Town, but... why?

 _Tears were in both of their eyes as they stepped toward each other. Espeon sniffed._

 _"I'm so glad... you're all right," Umbreon sniffled, voice wavering. "I-I didn't..."_

 _"No, I was more worried about you," Espeon assured him. "But..." She shook herself, reining the tears back so they wouldn't spill. "As much as I just want to enjoy this moment with you... There's something I have to..." She swallowed thickly, unable to speak more._

 _Umbreon dipped his head lowly, then brought it back up. "I know, Espeon," he replied. "But we've got to at least thank Snivy and the others properly first."_

 _"Of course," she responded, blinking back more tears that threatened to overwhelm her. Espeon move to Umbreon's side, and they both faced Snivy's group._

 _"Snivy..." he mewed, voice stronger and tears less prominent. "Oshawott... everyone... I owe you all so much. You saved us." He panned the group in front and behind him with his eyes. "Neither of us would be here without you."_

 _Oshawott cleared his throat. "No problem!" he exclaimed, in his always-positive attitude. "We're just glad you're both OK." A more doubtful look appeared on his face. "But... who were those Pokémon who attacked you? Who could they be?"_

 _Umbreon narrowed his eyes in thought. "Who knows? I've got no idea who they are, but..."_

 _Espeon turned to her companion. "Umbreon," she murmured. "They really were after the Entercards."_

 _"So they were," replied Umbreon, with no trace of surprise. "That was my guess. I really don't know who the Pokémon who attacked us were... but if they were after the Entercards, then their goal seems obvious enough." He sniffed. "Either they must want to get in the way of our research, or they planned to steal the Entercards..." Umbreon's nostrils flared at the thought. "Because they want to go to the Great Glacier themselves."_

The dream faltered, and Espeon felt herself being pulled from the dream, but she willed herself back in - there was something she needed to see.

It had skipped the pandemonium that had incurred after, and now Oshawott was speaking.

 _"That's... amazing!" he exclaimed, stars in his eyes. "Then that means with both of your sets of Entercards together, you could actually reach the Great Glacier?"_

 _"Pretty much," replied Umbreon. "We still need to make a few more adjustments. But... it might be too late for that now."_

This is the part Espeon had been waiting for - she inclined her ears to listen.

 _"Espeon..." Umbreon sighed. "From the looks of things, you don't have your Entercards anymore... do you?" His tone grew a little more angry; he cleared his throat. "Did those crooks steal them from you?" Before Espeon could reply, he dipped his head, long ears pinned back. "It's fine," he mumbled. "It doesn't matter if they did. I don't even care about losing the Entercards." He sobbed once, and tears welled up in his eyes. "If you... as long as you are safe and here with me again... then I-"_

 _"Honestly, Umbreon!" Espeon cut him off, fur rising in irritation. "Could you not leap to you own conclusions without giving me a chance to explain? The Entercards weren't stolen!"_

The dream cut off, and Espeon was left in darkness. _That_ is what she wanted to pick at - what had he meant - 'as long as you're safe and here with me again?' That seems awfully -

 _BOOM._

A sudden noise woke Espeon out of her nest, and she shot up, looking for Umbreon's form, finding nothing. "Umbreon?" she called, but no one answered. "Umb-"

 _BOOM._

She looked in all directions, seeing nothing as the _booms_ grew faster and in between.

 _BOOM._

 _BOOM._

 _CRACK!_

The crack came from above her, and when she looked up, she gasped in terror - it was the Glacier Palace! Had the Bittercold already made it this far? It was slathered in purple lightning, shooting electricity off of it, and the sky - it was - _crumbling._

It was disappearing, dissipating, every word that could be used to describe a slow death - this was happening to the sky - and she could only gape, eyes round and wide with terror.

 _" Espeon!"_

The bloodcurdling screech sent her heart to the bottoms of her pads. Tearing her gaze from the sky, she swiveled around to see Umbreon limping towards her.

 _"Espeon!"_ he cried again, eyes matching her terror, mixed with pain. "Run, Espeon, run! Go! Don't look back! _Run and get the others!"_

 _"Umbreon!"_ she wailed, bolting in his direction anyways. "Umbreon, lean against me, I can support you to safety-"

"No!" he snapped, whipping his body to the side. "My leg!"

Espeon looked at his leg, and with horror, realized that a huge, purple _thing_ had attached itself to his leg - _ice,_ it looked like. "It hit me, Espeon," Umbreon yelled over the _booms_ and _cracks_ of the midnight sky. "I'm already-" Suddenly, he fell over, crying out as the ice was driven further in his leg. Espeon screeched, any thought about the others vanishing - _she had to get Umbreon out of here, now!_

When she reached and ducked at his side, something caught her eye, and it was moving. Leaping up to her paws, she searched for it - finding that...

 _Oh, no..._

His tail was gone? Espeon racked her brain for an explanation, in shock - he must have fallen over for a lack of balance - Pokémon use their tails to balance. But then she noticed more was missing, and that...

Espeon heard a shriek that deafened her, and she looked around until she realized that she had uttered that sound. _He was disappearing, like the sky! "Umbreon!"_ she screeched, panic taking hold of her to its fullest. _"Umbreon!"_

By now, half his torso was gone, scattered in a fine dust. Looking to his face, she realized he was uttering something.

"Espeon," he mumbled, and Espeon had to read his lips. "It's too late for me - _ru-"_

 _Poof._

Just like that, the rest of Umbreon had vanished in an instant - his dusty remains scattering.

Espeon drew in a breath to scream, but she couldn't anymore - all she could do was crumble to the Earth. _"Umbreon!"_ she managed weakly, feeling a shake - she didn't care anymore, nothing did, the Earth that was falling away by her feet, she felt nothing.

"Espeon!"

Espeon leaped up in a cold sweat, the night breeze chilling her clammy skin. Hyperventilating, she looked towards the voice with her crazed expression, half sobbing, half breathing.

"Espeon?! Can you hear me?"

Her vision cleared eventually, and the voice that was calling her name - _Umbreon._

"Oh..." she mewed wobbly. "You're alright..." _It was a dream. A dream. A nightmare._

"Espeon, did you have a bad dream?" he whispered nervously. "You were... making _horrible_ noises in your sleep-"

"Oh, _Umbreon!"_ She walked to him, legs shaking, and rested her head on his shoulder, tears spilling out of her face onto him. "It was _awful!_ You - the world - it all- it c-c-crumbled, and the _thing_ hit you, and y-y-y-you - you crumbled too, like dust-"

By now, her legs had given out, the withdrawal from the adrenaline proving to be harsh. They were on the ground now, they only think Espeon could feel was his strong shoulder; the only thing she could hear, she realized, were the smooth, comforting noises that Umbreon was murmuring into her ears - _it's okay_ , _I'm here, I'm not dust, I'm not dead, this world isn't dead. Shhhh..._

 _It's okay._

When her breath had evened out, and the dark type Eeveelution had stopped murmuring, she whispered delicately, as if speaking any louder would reduce him into the hellish alternative her mind recently concocted, "Umbreon?"

"Yes?"

"What... what did you mean, back in Post Town, when we were united again the first time... that it didn't matter if we'd lost the Entercards, and as long as I was safe and with you..."

Espeon felt him tense slightly, and Umbreon felt his heart stop. _Oh..._ "...Espeon, it's time I tell you something," he whispered, the words only meant for her. "W-when we - when Snivy's team rescued you... I was so relieved. I... I really didn't care if the Entercards were lost, Espeon. You... you are the important one to me."

Espeon blinked, taking her head off his shoulder and looking his in the eye. "What are you saying?" she mewed, still shaking slightly from her vision.

Umbreon swallowed, and closed his eyes. "Espeon, I love you."

Espeon drew in a sharp breath, and her eyes grew wide. "I-I-I-you mean, like... how?"

Umbreon laughed once nervously, ears pinned back and eyes flitting from the ground to his paws. "I want dedicate myself to you for life, Espeon."

The world grew numb for Espeon, everything went black, then bright, then black, then normal again. Then, her heart warmed in her chest, and - _joy_ \- added itself as well. A small smile grew on her face. "Really?" she whispered in awe, eyes sparkling.

He gulped. "Yes," he mewed with a confidence, daring to meet her. "I do." _Please, Espeon... please be mine._

Her smile grew wider, and she giggled. "Of... of course," she whispered. "Yes, Umbreon - for what little time we have left, if it all crumbles down, I'm... I'm with you the whole way. As life partners."

Umbreon's eyes glowed, and he laughed. "Thank you," he mewed huskily, tears forming in his eyes. "Thank you, my love - for the rest of my life, I'll be with you, even if this world does end."

The joy in the twos' hearts couldn't be more as they laid there in the dirt, head resting on each other's shoulders. _Thank you, thank you, thank you,_ was all Umbreon could think. _Thank you._ A single tear welled out of his eye, and he sniffed, sobbing once in joy.

Espeon was stationed happily where she was, until she shifted her foot and a rock got stuck in her pads. Wincing, she kicked it out. "Do you think... we should sleep?"

Umbreon pulled away slightly, touching his nose to hers. "Yes," he breathed, heart fit to burst. "But... how..."

"We'll combine our nests," she decided, standing up. Umbreon nodded and got up - it was finished within the next moment. The couple met in the middle, Espeon leaning into her lover as the moon glowed bright, and the stars shone hopefully. "I love you," she whispered affectionately.

Umbreon laughed, another tear dripping out of his face. "I love you, too," he mewed tenderly, licking her head once.

 _As long as I have her... nothing can stand in our way._ He looked up to the Bittercold in the distance, the Glacier Palace that protected it already in the air, and moving, as he knew.

 _Come at us._

The moon and the stars twinkled more fiercely at this thought, as if issuing a challenge of its own to the negative energy that threatened to consume the world.

* * *

 **(The first 5 1/2 paragraphs and the first dream were real events in the game - down to the dialogue. The "in between the lines" of it was interpreted/transcribed to fiction form by the author, Cobrastar - just to say that some of this was ripped from the game, and not all of it is fiction.)**


End file.
